


Secrets We Don't Talk About

by imagined_haven



Category: Throne of Glass Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 01:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28858587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imagined_haven/pseuds/imagined_haven
Summary: Rowan and Aelin have newly entered into a relationship, and haven’t yet told anyone else. But when Aelin suffers an accident, Rowan learns what truly matters to him.Written for a prompt from tumblr for secret dating.
Relationships: Aelin Ashryver Galathynius | Celaena Sardothien/Rowan Whitethorn
Comments: 3
Kudos: 77





	Secrets We Don't Talk About

Rowan had had a bad feeling about something he couldn’t quite place from the moment he reached his office.

He knew that others could notice his mood. His students wouldn’t likely pick up on him being slightly more terse than usual, but his colleagues certainly would. Over the years of working together in the history department, they had bonded together somewhat against his will, and he was even friendly toward some of them. Even the ones with whom he wasn’t as close would be able to tell he was upset.

That would be fine, if he could at least give them a _reason_ he was feeling this way. And yet, even when he actually thought about it he couldn’t find one.

Aelin would say he had simply woke up on the wrong side of the bed, if he told her. She was also highly likely to offer to come kiss it better. However, after the _last_ time she had made such an offer he was unlikely to ever invite her into his workspace again, as her own godsdamned _cousin_ had walked into his office while she was kneeling beneath his desk. It was a minor miracle they hadn’t been caught, if one believed in such things.

No, he definitely couldn’t tell Aelin. She was in the middle of her shift as a personal trainer, anyway, and was unlikely to answer her phone.

It would’ve been strange for any of the others to see him conversing with her, anyway. Their relationship, such as it was, was still so nebulous and new that he was pretty sure she hadn’t even told her closest friend. She _certainly_ hadn’t told Aedion; he was relatively sure that if she had he would’ve already had to deal with some fashion of The Talk from him. In the few situations where they had to interact with each other it had been easy enough to pretend that nothing had changed, that the heat in their gazes was from ire rather than a different kind of passion.

Sometimes it certainly still _was_. Their first kiss had been in the middle of an argument about the merits of his career, and it was highly unlikely that Aelin would ever tire of riling him. She had simply added a new method to her list that day.

She absolutely made up for it in other ways, though. Aelin approached everything she did with a passion and a joy for life, and within a week from that day she had dragged him over to her apartment to eat takeout and watch a movie she’d claimed was integral to understanding who she was as a person. He was unashamed to admit he had hardly paid attention to the film, focusing instead on the way her eyes had lit up at certain exchanges of dialogue and watered when the leading couple finally admitted their feelings for each other.

Rowan sighed. He had a meeting to prepare for, and dwelling on thoughts of his… as-yet-undefined relationship… wouldn’t help him.

His bad feeling worsened when Aedion was conspicuously absent from the staff meeting. Thankfully, he wasn’t expected to speak overly much, but he was sure the others noticed he was scowling at his notes.

Finally, the meeting ended, and he turned to the person to his right—Fenrys. Yes, there was a chance he would know. “Do you have any idea where Ashryver is?”

Fenrys turned to face him, eyes for once devoid of the smile the younger man constantly wore. “You didn’t hear? Aelin’s in the hospital.”

Rowan felt the world grow cold and the edges of his vision go grey, but he couldn’t let Fenrys know how the news affected him. “What did Galathynius do this time?” he asked, hoping his voice sounded at least somewhat unaffected. Gods, she had been fine this morning. What could’ve happened in a few short hours?

“Some sort of accident at her work, I think. She’s hurt pretty bad. I think Aedion said she might need surgery. I was thinking of visiting after work, if she’s up to it.”

Of course he was. Fenrys was friendly with everyone, but he had a particular soft spot for Aelin that had always rubbed Rowan the wrong way. Aelin had assured him that nothing had happened between them even once and that she didn’t see him at all that way, but something about it still set Rowan on edge.

He was trying to get better about that.

Today, though, he could only manage a grunt in response as he gathered his things and stood to return to his office. Thankfully, he knew his colleague would take the dismissive response as indifference rather than a sign of his current internal struggle.

Classes were over for the day already, but he still had office hours for which he was supposed to stay. Hardly anyone ever actually _attended_ his office hours, but as the new head of their department Lorcan had assured him that that was beside the point and that he needed to be available regardless. He could already tell, though, that he would be absolutely useless to anyone who happened to come in.

He had to see her, consequences and fallout amongst their friend group be damned. It was the only way he was going to settle his racing mind.

Decision made, he pulled up his email and added the mailing lists for each of his classes into the recipients line. _Office hours today are postponed. Instead, I will be available this Thursday during the same timeframe._

It was a terse email, but hardly out of character. He was respected for his knowledge, but he doubted any of his students could honestly say they thought him to be pleasant as a person. That was fine by him, really. It was better to be respected than liked.

He blind-copied Lorcan on the email to alert him to the change, and closed his computer before anyone could tell him not to do exactly what he was about to do. His laptop slipped easily enough into his bag, and he haphazardly shrugged into his coat before leaving his office.

While he had been within the history building, it had evidently begun to snow. Frigid flakes fell around him, one occasionally landing somewhere on him and eliciting a blossom of cold that he could hardly feel on his skin. Thankfully, it wasn’t building up on the roads yet. He would have to be careful, but this was hardly impassable.

Later on, Rowan would find himself unable to recall fully the drive to the hospital, the long moments sitting at red lights blurring into one long string of nearly-blind panic. The hospital wasn’t far from campus, though, and soon—not soon enough, _never_ soon enough—he was through reception with a room number being called after him. Not that it mattered. If Aelin and Aedion were sharing the same space he was sure he’d be able to find them from the sound of their voices alone.

As it turned out, he was absolutely correct as usual. Aelin’s laughter was floating through an open door down the hall, and Aedion’s low voice could be heard beneath it. There was another voice as well—Lysandra, he thought, one of Aelin’s coworkers and a friend as well.

That meant their cover would almost assuredly be thoroughly blown in about thirty seconds. It didn’t matter, not to Rowan. Not anymore. Aelin could be upset at him for it _after_ he’d made sure she would be all right.

With that thought in mind, he swept into the room, studiously ignoring the surprise on Aedion’s face and the delight on Lysandra’s. No, his gaze was fixed on Aelin, who had a splint on her right leg and a line of what he could only assume to be painkillers given her loose and happy smile. “Hey there, handsome,” she called.

Rowan snorted. “How high are you right now, exactly?”

She pouted as Aedion laughed. “Not nearly high enough. I think they’re holding out on me.”

It was incredibly awkward to crouch down beside her bed, but in the absence of an actual chair he would have to make do. What came as naturally as breathing was lacing their fingers together and watching as her smile turned soft. “What happened?”

“I’ll be okay, Buzzard. You worry too much.” He glanced pointedly down at her splinted leg, and she grimaced. “Okay, maybe it’ll take a little while. But I’ll still be okay. You’ll just have to do your caveman thing and carry me around everywhere for a bit.”

Rowan carefully avoided looking at the others in the room. “I hardly think—”

Aelin interrupted him with a hand over his mouth. “Shut up and kiss me.”

And Rowan smiled as he peeled her hand away from his face and did just that, completely ignoring Aedion’s surprised gasp and Lysandra’s delighted squeal in favor of enjoying the soft breathless sound Aelin couldn’t quite hold back as their lips met.


End file.
